7 things that can help when you're too exhausted to work any more today

While your computer can generally run all day long without a
problem, you can't.

Even people who love their jobs and feel super-motivated during
the workday (we hope that's you!) will at some point hit a wall.

The solution isn't to bang your head against said wall —
i.e. force yourself to continue working — but to acknowledge that
you need a break from whatever you're working on and take it.

Below, we've rounded up seven non-obvious ways to deal with
mental fatigue, all drawn from research and expert opinion.

1. Watch a funny video

Because we know there's at least one lurking in your Facebook
newsfeed.

Research suggests that humor can be a great way to boost
your productivity when your mental energy is flagging.
Specifically, taking a break to watch something funny after doing
something tedious can help you persist longer on difficult tasks.

2. Sit alone in a dark, silent room

It's not as creepy as it sounds.

Writing on
PsychologyToday.com, Alice Boyes recommends reducing sensory
input as a way to recharge. If you can't sneak away to a dark,
silent room right now, Boyes also says you can take smaller steps
throughout the day to minimize sensory input, such as putting in
headphones on the subway.

Presumably, when you're feeling drained, you can simply sit at
your desk, close your eyes, plug in your headphones, and listen
to some white noise.

3. Think about the big picture

Sometimes it helps to take a step back.

In "The
Happiness Track," Emma Seppala, science director of the
Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at
Stanford University, suggests remembering the big picture, or
your motivation for joining this organization.

She writes: "Focus on the why rather than
the how of a task or job. Understanding how your
work connects to what you care about and to your values will
restore your energy."

4. Get up and move around

You don't need to hit up an exercise class (though that would
probably help) — simply walking around your office or jogging up
and down the stairs can do the trick.

Recent research, cited in
The New York Times, found that walking for five minutes every
hour for six hours boosted participants' mood and helped them
feel less fatigued and more energetic.

Interestingly, walking for five minutes every hour was linked to
lower ratings of fatigue than walking for 30 minutes straight
beforehand.

Those findings support something psychologist Ron Friedman
previously told Business Insider — that physical activity
gives you energy, gets your blood flowing, elevates your heart
rate, and boosts your mood, all of which helps make
you more
productive.

So feel free to move around between the different workspaces
available in your office.

5. Try brainstorming

You may feel like you can't squeeze another drop of work out of
your brain — but research suggests otherwise. The key is doing a
different type of work than you've been doing all day.

One study found that mental exhaustion facilitates
creativity, presumably because it lowers our inhibition and makes
us more open to new ideas.

So after a day of filling out spreadsheets, or sending emails, or
holding meetings, get out a pen and paper and start generating
ideas for new projects you could spearhead. You could be more
productive than you'd expect.

6. Look at the progress you've already made

"Small wins" can be motivating.

That's according to Teresa Amabile and Steven J. Kramer, authors
of "The
Progress Principle." As they write in The Harvard
Business Review, making meaningful progress on your work —
even if it's just accomplishing one task out of many — motivates
people to be more productive.

One way to harness the power of small wins is to craft a
"done
list," which features everything you've completed that day.
Review it and see how far you've come — it could be just the kick
in the pants you need to accomplish everything else left.

7. Take a break before exhaustion hits

This last strategy is more of a preemptive measure.

Although you might be accustomed to a 3 p.m. coffee run,
research suggests that the best time for a break from
work is early in the day. Specifically, breaks taken earlier in
the day may be more likely to replenish your resources, including
energy, concentration, and motivation — likely because those
resources haven't run out yet.

So go ahead and duck out at 11 a.m., in the interest of
preserving your productivity later on.